Thad’s OHS Hall of Fame Induction Gives us Something to Brag About

The Oceanside High School Foundation Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony earlier this month. It was an inspiring event saluting an amazing group of people. A reminder of how special Oceanside is.

The inductees, from the classes of 1963 to 1975, told personal and emotional stories connected to their Oceanside experiences. The word “family” was a consistent theme from each inductee.

My former baseball teammate, Thad Bosley, brought the crowd to its feet, reminding us that our Oceanside family is something bigger, and more special, than each of us individually.

Thad reminded us that growing up in Oceanside, and becoming part of the Oceanside family, is a positive life experience. A family that doesn’t see differences in color, religion, ethnicity, or really anything else. Our country could use more of that today.

Now, I don’t mean to sound preachy, but the news today often tells us how bad things are, how different we are, how disconnected we are. Well, in my opinion, the country could take a few lessons from Oceanside.

Thad recalled when his mother moved from Oceanside to Los Angeles right before his senior year. He wanted to graduate from Oceanside. He had three families that I know of, offer to have him live with them. All three families were white. Thad is African-American. None of us cared what anyone thought or said…when family asks, we act. Thad lived with one such family his senior year.

The Hall of Fame ceremony demonstrated how proud, how diverse, and if truth be told, how intelligent Oceanside really is. And how proud we all are to be a part of a very special family.

Several of the past Oceanside High athletics inductees were in attendance, including Herb Meyer, Willie Buchanon and Bill Sandifer. Past athletic inductees include Chris Chambliss, Willie Banks, Junior Seau, Charles Dimry, Gary Thomasson and Joe Paopao. It is a privilege to know all of them. It was very special to be a teammate with several of them.

Our city, our teachers, our schools give us a great sense of pride. I will continue to brag about Oceanside’s sports programs. That is the focus of this column. And I will also highlight the people of Oceanside, connected through sports, that make this such a special place. And a special place is so welcome at a time when so many people would love to be part of a “family” in any place.

Oceanside was a special place when I was growing up and is a special place today. And will continue to be a special place for future generations.